What a mess the Friday night slate turned out to be with numerous late scratches and in-game injuries. Some of that chaos could spill over into the eight-game Saturday night slate as some of the teams involved in the madness play again on the second game of a back-to-back such as the Pistons, Heat, Magic, and Cavaliers. It is always worth keeping a close eye on the injury news but Saturday will be doubly important as finding the value will open up the opportunity to roster the top stud on the board, James Harden.
Note that some of the stats referenced in this article are my custom DvP calculations that combine both season and last five games data along with blending similar positions production allowed together.
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One Stud
James Harden (PG/SG – HOU): $13,400 vs. LAL
It should be no surprise that Harden top the list yet again. Sure, his salary is continuing to rise but as I mentioned in the intro there could be a flood cheap value options on the slate which should allow you to comfortably plug in The Beard. In the two games since Clint Capela joined Chris Paul on the injury list, Harden is averaging 57.5 points (yes, that’s raw points, not DraftKings points), 9.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He has fired up at least 32 shots in three straight games and has topped 70 DraftKings points in five straight outings. All of that and he gets a great game environment on Saturday playing at home against the Lakers in a game with one of the highest Vegas totals on the slate. Maybe he can hit triple-digit DK points.
What a mess the Friday night slate turned out to be with numerous late scratches and in-game injuries. Some of that chaos could spill over into the eight-game Saturday night slate as some of the teams involved in the madness play again on the second game of a back-to-back such as the Pistons, Heat, Magic, and Cavaliers. It is always worth keeping a close eye on the injury news but Saturday will be doubly important as finding the value will open up the opportunity to roster the top stud on the board, James Harden.
Note that some of the stats referenced in this article are my custom DvP calculations that combine both season and last five games data along with blending similar positions production allowed together.
Create Optimal DraftKings lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool
One Stud
James Harden (PG/SG – HOU): $13,400 vs. LAL
It should be no surprise that Harden top the list yet again. Sure, his salary is continuing to rise but as I mentioned in the intro there could be a flood cheap value options on the slate which should allow you to comfortably plug in The Beard. In the two games since Clint Capela joined Chris Paul on the injury list, Harden is averaging 57.5 points (yes, that’s raw points, not DraftKings points), 9.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He has fired up at least 32 shots in three straight games and has topped 70 DraftKings points in five straight outings. All of that and he gets a great game environment on Saturday playing at home against the Lakers in a game with one of the highest Vegas totals on the slate. Maybe he can hit triple-digit DK points.
Core Plays
Blake Griffin (PF/C – DET): $9,000 vs. SAC
One of the injuries that occurred on Friday night was to Blake Griffin’s frontcourt mate, Andre Drummond, who suffered a nose injury. No early word on if he will miss Saturday’s game or extended time, but my suspicion is he will at least be out for Saturday against the Kings. With Drummond out most of the game on Friday, Griffin stepped up to fall just one assist shy of a triple-double on his way to 61.75 DK points. He should do a lot of the heavy lifting for the Pistons offense and on the boards in a plus matchup against the Kings in a game with a tight Vegas line and high total. After you put Harden in your lineup, Griffin should be the next player you click on.
Nikola Vucevic (C – ORL): $8,600 vs. MIL
The next big-time player who will benefit from the potential absence of the other big name on their team is Nikola Vucevic with Aaron Gordon questionable to play on the second game of a back-to-back with a back injury. Vucevic has averaged 20.0 points and 15.0 rebounds over his last two games and will have even more of the offense flow through him on Saturday against the Bucks if Gordon is out. The only concern with Vucevic is a blow out which could cut his playing time short but playing at home should help.
Bobby Portis (PF/C – CHI): $5,700 vs. MIA
With Wendell Carter Jr. expected to miss significant time going forward, Bobby Portis joins the starting lineup for the Bulls and should see a big increase in his playing time. Portis got the start and played 28 minutes in the last game while producing a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. His salary is on the rise, but we might be able to squeeze one more game of value out of him with the Bulls matchup against the Heat on Saturday night. If we get news that Aaron Gordon is going to play on Saturday, then consider pivoting off Vucevic down to Portis.
Value Plays
Ante Zizic (C – CLE): $4,600 @ DEN
In order to roster Harden and Griffin, we will need to exhume value from the slate and there are plenty of potential options depending on injury news. Ante Zizic was already in line for more playing time for the Cavaliers with Larry Nance Jr. out but then Tristan Thompson was also held out of the last game which opened up 34 minutes of action for Zizic. He got off to a slow start but managed to finish with a double-double, posting 15 points and 10 rebounds against the Jazz. Zizic is an okay option if Thompson returns to the court on Saturday in Denver but turns into a very good play if Thompson sits out another game.
Tyler Johnson (PG/SG – MIA): $3,900 @ CHI
The key to Johnson’s value is held in the status of Josh Richardson. Richardson sat out Friday’s game due to illness which resulted in Johnson drawing the start and playing 35 minutes. He responded with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists against the Pistons. If Richardson misses another game on Saturday, then Johnson and his low salary make for a perfect cheap option at guard in a plus matchup against the Bulls who have allowed increased production in points (+13.9%) and rebounds (+13.2%) to PGs this season.
Justin Holiday (SG/SF – MEM): $3,800 @ TOR
The Grizzlies finally let their recent acquisition, Justin Holiday, play significant minutes on Friday night in Boston. He filled up the box score with 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and four steals for 32.5 DK points. The matchup against the Raptors isn’t ideal but minutes is all Holiday needs to pile up enough fantasy points to be worth his cheap $3,800 price tag.
Jonathan Isaac (SF/PF – ORL): $3,700 vs. MIL
Jonathan Issac has played 33 minutes in each of his last two games and might even get a few more if Aaron Gordon is held out on Saturday against the Bucks. Issac is similar to Holiday in that he can fill up the stat sheet in a variety of ways to get his fantasy production. He could pull down a few extra boards if Gordon is out and will likely be on the floor a lot to help defend the Bucks length.
Zaza Pachulia (C – DET): $3,300 vs. SAC
With Andre Drummond‘s early exit on Friday night, Zaza Pachulia stepped into 28 minutes of action. He only managed two points but grabbed nine rebounds with two assists and steals on his way to 20.25 DK points. Assuming Drummond misses Saturday’s matchup with the Kings, Pachulia should be lineup up for a similar number of minutes and will likely improve on his scoring while providing around 10 rebounds which could net him the double-double bonus. Not bad for a player who only costs $3,300.
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Brad Richter is a Featured Writer and Correspondent at FantasyPros and a contributor at DailyOverlay. For more from Brad, you can view his archive or follow him @RotoPilot.
